CFA 2018 Bill/Budget Package

LEGISLATION

UPDATE: This bill has passed the State Senate and will go to a vote of the State Assembly in late August. It was amended to apply only to the CSU, with a request that UC implement similar counselor-to-student ratios.

SB 1421 (Skinner) Right to Know

This bill would modify the special secrecy for police officers to make records available to the public in cases involving sexual assault or dishonesty in criminal investigations, where accusations were sustained after due process. The bill would also make available records related to police shootings and other serious or deadly uses of force incidents, after 180 days, or after an investigation has been concluded (whichever comes first).

This bill would establish regular reports and an audit by the California State Auditor of the CSU. The report and audit would include quarterly budget checks, reporting on “off books” funds, and include a review how staffing decisions are made.

UPDATE: In August, this bill was amended in the legislature to require a report that includes a summary of current hiring practices for all California State University positions, including executive, management, faculty, and nonfaculty support staff positions. This report also would compare hiring practices at the CSU to the best practices for hiring persons to similar positions at UC and the California Community Colleges.

THE STATE BUDGET

Line-Item Budget

This is a line-item budget ask to re-direct $50 million in current CSU funding to hire tenure-track faculty. The language will establish a baseline of faculty and specifies that the $50 million would be spent above maintenance of effort. The bill also includes reporting on specific outcomes that reflect how the funds spent accomplish intent of the funding and makes the case for Lecturer conversions.

The Governor’s January budget would provide $92 million more in 2018-19. This amount is much less than half of the $263 million the CSU Chancellor and Trustees requested of him. We find both numbers inadequate to serve California’s students. We recommend a 5% increase in student enrollment this year which necessitates a$422.6 million investment in the CSU that would allow the CSU to increase admissions by more than 18,000 FTE students.